Grants

The purpose of the Coldwater Heritage Partnership (CHP) is to provide leadership, coordination, technical assistance, and funding support for the evaluation, conservation, and protection of Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams.

Goals of the program include:

• Foster a greater public understanding of watershed characteristics and how they affect coldwater ecosystems;
• Identify special areas of concern, such as areas with exceptional water quality with high potential for impacts;
• Produce conservation plans that will lead to additional planning or implementation of projects that protect and enhance our coldwater ecosystems; and
• Provide technical assistance and financial opportunities to organizations dedicated to protecting coldwater ecosystems.

This pilot project is an approach to providing funding for urgent, unforeseen situations on designated water trails that impede or impair access, create unsafe conditions/ safety concerns for paddlers or others who want to access the water trail, affect safe ingress/egress from the water trail, etc.

Such situations could include, but are not limited to,

• Storm-induced scouring, flooding, debris impoundments that severely impact navigation.
• Fallen trees or other large obstructions caused by a storm or other event that will prohibit or severely impact an imminent sojourn, paddle fest, race, etc. 
• A situation where there is a major in-water litter/trash issue immediately prior to a planned community event, paddle, race, etc.
• A situation in which an access improvement/ enhancement project was funded and is almost complete, but an unforeseen event or situation threatens to prevent the project from being completed without a small infusion of extra funding.
• The destruction of a safety or wayfinding sign at an access point, if the sign was critical to orienting paddlers or providing critical information about a river hazard, portage, dam, 

In short, the situation must be caused by an “unanticipated” event, or one that could not be reasonably planned for. A known ongoing situation that was simply not addressed in time would not qualify. This funding should be viewed as a “last resort.” 

If the applicant is not the Water Trail Manager, applicant must contact the Water Trail Manager before applying to this funding. Additional, all applicants must contact one of the Water Trail Program Partners at PEC, DCNR or PFBC prior to applying.

The overall goal of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Program (WRPP) is to restore, and maintain restored stream reaches impaired by the uncontrolled discharge of nonpoint source polluted runoff, and ultimately to remove these streams from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Impaired Waters list. Projects which involve the construction, improvement, expansion, repair, maintenance or rehabilitation of new or existing watershed protection Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Supplemental Funding Round for Fall 2022!

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Recreation and Conservation (BRC) provides technical and grant assistance in support of community projects related to park and recreation facilities, trails, rivers and open space. Bureau resources also support many of the Commonwealth’s conservation, recreation and heritage partners.

Applicants are also encouraged to consider the following priorities identified in the 2020-2024 Pennsylvania Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan and how they may relate or be integrated into your community project:

• Community Parks & Recreation: Priority projects in this category include projects that help rehab existing parks and those that improve access for all.
• Land Conservation/Watershed Protection: Priority projects in this category include land conservation projects that protect critical habitat, climate resilient lands, forested watersheds, wetlands, and riparian corridors or create critical connections between public or conservation lands.
• Watershed Restoration/Rivers Implementation: Priority projects in this category include projects that enhance public access to Pennsylvania’s waterways or projects that improve Pennsylvania’s watersheds and waterways including the planting of riparian forest buffers.
• Trails: Priority projects in this category include projects that close Priority Trail Gap

Click here for Fall 2022 Supplemental Round FAQ

Click here for the complete Suplemental Round guidance package